ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – One of Osama bin Laden’s sons was probably killed by a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan earlier this year, U.S. National Public Radio reported, citing U.S. intelligence sources.
A U.S. counterterrorism official told Reuters yesterday that Sa’ad bin Laden may be dead, “but it’s not 100 percent certain.” He described the son of the al Qaeda leader as “a small player with a big name.”
It was unknown whether Sa’ad bin Laden, who was in his twenties, was anywhere near his father when he died, NPR said. A U.S. intelligence official said in January that the younger bin Laden had been freed from custody in Iran and had probably gone to Pakistan.
“There have been reports (of his death), but none of them has been confirmed or verified,” a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters.
The United States believes Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan. Intelligence agencies have had near misses tracking his deputy Ayman al Zawahri in Pakistan, but the hunt for bin Laden went cold several years ago.
While al Qaeda often releases audiotaped messages from bin Laden, the last videotape released was two years ago, and there is constant speculation that he might have died.
A spokesman for the Taliban in the Swat valley, where the Pakistani army launched an offensive three months ago, phoned Reuters to deny a report by the military that it had probably wounded Taliban commander Fazlullah in an air strike.
